Old Sarum

Old Sarum was another stop on our ticket to visit Stonehenge from Salisbury. It is the site of the earliest settlement of Salisbury in England. The site contains human habitation as early as 3,000 B.C.

There is a castle up on the top of Old Sarum, but you had to pay to go in. We opted to visit the ruins of a cathedral, which also stood on the top of the hill.

Old Sarum was originally a hill fort strategically placed on the conunction of two trade routes and the River Avon, Hamshire.

Achaeological remains of rough stone tools suggest people hac occupied the hilltop area since Neolithis times. A protective hill forst was constructed by the local inhabitants during the British Iron Age. The Romans, who occupied Britain between AD 43 and AD 410, held the site as a military station.

This isn't technically part of Old Sarum but it was a kite stuck in a tree at the top of Old Sarum, so I think it counts. Plus, it's pretty.

A motte and bailey castle was built in around 1069, shortly after the Norman conquest, and the town was renamed. We didn't want to pay to enter the castle but we did have the opportunity to visit the ruins of a cathedral and bishop's palace that was built around 1075.

By 1219, the limitations of space on the hilltop site had become cause for concern, with the cathedral and castle in close proximity and their respective chiefs in regular conflict. Eventually, the bishop asked for the cathedral's relocation.
(This was a sign pointing out the years in which different parts of the now-ruined cathedral were built - yellow is late 11th century, red is early 12th century, and green is mid to late 12 century.)

The site of a new cathedral was consecrated later that year and in 1220 the bishop started construction on the new location, what would become Salisbury Cathedral.

The view from the top of the hill was also quite lovely, but as there was nothing huge or recognizable it wasn't as impressive in photos. The ruins themselves were quite extensive, and you could see the layout and everything.

That's it for Salisbury and the surrounding area. Our next stop was Bath, but you're going to have to wait until tomorrow for that one, it's past midnight here and I am going to bed! Hope you've enjoyed yourself.

Stonehenge!

Stonehenge. You know what it is. I won't bother going into any sort of big explanation or copy-pasting from Wikipedia to explain anything.

Instead, I offer you a small sample of little known facts about Stonehenge:

During the Victorian age, visitors used to be able to rent a small hammer to chip peices off the monuments as souvernirs.

Stonehenge is the most well-known among the nine hundred stone rings which exist in the British Isles.

The inner ring of Bluestones came from Wales. Just a few years ago a group from Wales tried to re-enact one theory about moving the stones and failed - the stone they were trying to move now rests at the bottom of the Bristol Channel.

And a last fact, it's surprisingly hard to find new and interesting facts about Stonehenge.

We visited Stonehenge twice during our vacations. Once, from Salisbury (we also visited Old Sarum and Amesbury that day), and again, from Bath (when we also visited Castle Combe, Lacock and Avebury Circle). I've lumped the photos from both trips together, just for the hell of it.

Located just across the street from Stonehenge is this market to indicate how many miles from London and from Amesbury you are. No idea how old it is.

It's my mom and aunt! Everyone's happy! Behind them are the barrows.

Also located around Stonehenge were just a few of the barrows in countryside. The cemetery around Stonehenge consisted of 20 barrows, the earliest being constructed in the Bronze Age - the same time that Stonehenge was being built and used. Important individuals were buried underneath, together with items such as pottery bessels, personal ornaments and weapons.

Most early Bronze Age barrows are either bell or bowl chaped. The two main mounds in the pictures are bells - distinguished by the flat, or slightly sloping area between the mound and its ditch.

The hollows on the top of many of the barrows are due to excavations in the 18th and 19th century.

The reason we go from Stonehenge to Barrows to road and back is because we visited it those two times. All the photos after the road picture were taken on the second visit. It was cloudier then.




I loved seeing Stonehenge and took 581 pictures at the site. Aren't you glad now that I didn't post them all?

Amesbury

Okaaaaaaay, welcome to Amesbury! We stopped here on the way home from Stonehenge/Old Sarum, but I'm posting it first since it was alphabetical in the folders. Take that.

Amesbury is a town in Wiltshire, England. It is most famous for the monument of Stonehenge, which is in its parish.

Amesbury is quite a small town, although it has some lovely buildings on the high street.

After a quick lunch we wandered over to the church of St. Mary and St. Melor.

There has been a place of worship in Amesbury long before the present church. The history of the present building begins in 979 when Queen Elfreda founded a Benedictine Abbey in expiartion of her crime in aiding the murder of her step-son, King Edward. As well as being dedicated to St. Mary, the church is also dedicated to St. Melor, a boy saint who was murdered by his uncle in strangely similar circumstances to King Edward.

Here's a quick history of the next thousand or so years: Aifric, Biship of Wiltshire was made Archbishop of Canterbury in the presence of Kind Ethelred and his Witan on Easter Day 995. King Henry II re-founded the Abbey as part of the Order of Fontevrault, and the buildings were extended and enlarged. In 1283 Kind Edward I's daughter Mary entered the Convent where she spent the rest of her life. In 1287 King Edward I's mother, Eleanor of Provence also took her vows and on her death was buried here, although the precise location is not know (she is the only Queen of England without a known grave). In 1501 Katherine of Aragon stayed in the Abbey on her way to London to marry Prince Arthur, King Henry VIII's elder brother.
After the reformation the abbey was dissolved and many of its buildings were destroyed. The lands were given to the Seymour family and the Abbey Church to the people of Amesbury, who have been allowed to use part of the Abbey as their parish church.

This is the view looking down the nave to the 18th Century organ. The organ's original case is partly constructed of old pew ends.

I didn't take a whole lot of photos inside, but you can see more on a website here.
This church also came with a lovely old man who told us all about the church. He was super friendly, although unfortunately we had to leave to catch our last bus back to Salisbury.

Up next, Stonehenge!

Church of St. Thomas Beckett, Salisbury

Welcome to the Church of St. Thomas Beckett.

The Church of St. Thomas Beckett dates from the mid-15th century and is especially notable for its medieval mural of the Last Judgement.

There was a church built on this location around 1220 as a place of worship for the masons working on the 13th century Salisbury Cathedral. It was rebuilt around 1450 and bears the emblems of the townspeople who paid for it.

It looks small from the outside, but it's quite large inside. It's almost hidden from view, tucked between buildings.


It has some lovely stained glass as well, and a wooden ceiling which I hadn't seen much of before.

You can see here on the top the Last Judgement Mural, also known as the Doom Painting.

The Last Judgement mural was completed in 1475. The work was painted over in 1593 and remained hidden until it was discovered and restored in 1881.

As in other depictions of the scene, this 'Doom' mural depicts Christ in judgement with the apostles in the centre, with the blessed on the left and the damned on the right. A ffrightening Devil can be seen to the right of the arch.

Again you can see the Doom painting on the top here. It's quite colorful and impressive, for something so old.

You can read more about this church here and here.

That's it for Salisbury, folks, next batch will be Amesbury, Old Sarum and Stonehenge!